Portal: Gatehouse
by Rainbow-Ebony
Summary: When Chell returns back to Aperture after the events of Portal 2 she discovers, thanks to GLaDOS' accidental help, a strange room that takes her and her tag along (Wheatley) back in time. With Chell desperate to find out if she really WAS adopted and Wheatley just figuring out GLaDOS' past the two are in for some surprises about both their pasts.


**Portal- Gate House**

_Prologue: Space? Nah, Michigan._

_"It's been... too long."_

_"Space, Loving space."_

_"You're STILL loving space mate? Don't you... get bored after a while or somethin'? Do you even think about anything but space?"_

_"Space."_

_"I'll take that as a big fat no then."_

_"Watch out, space cops after us."_

_"You know what, I... I... I honestly feel... like... I mean... how are we even going... Honestly. This is..."_

_"Space!"_

_"I know, you HAVE said. Quite a few times might I add..."_

_"Ooooo... look... a STAR!"_

_"Yeah... there ARE lots of those in space... in fact... they're pretty much the ONLY thing in space."_

_"Oooo... planets."_

_"Well... other than planets."_

_"Ooooo... moon."_

_"Oh, yeah, and the moon... doesn't that count as a planet mate? No... wait... No yeah I'm sure it's a planet..."_

_"... SUN!"_

_"Yeah... that too."_

_"SPACEEEEEEEE!"_

_"... I wonder if anyone can hear us up here... If they can... then... L-look, I swear-"_

_"On space? space? swearing on space? space last forever."_

_"I-I swear... On... On space. Right see, I swear on space... I'm utterly, and completely sorry... I deserve this, I really, really do."_

_"Space? Who's sorry? Space sorry? Space doesn't need to be sorry. SPACE IS SPACE! Space, SPACE look out, space!"_

_"Yeah... space... I can see that mate... in fact it's literally bloomin' everywhere."_

_"SPACE! Space danger! Space, astronaut cores in danger... danger of collision..."_

_"Yeah... sure thing."_

_"SPACE COLLISION!"_

_"Sure, Sur... wait, WHAT?"_

_"SPACE!"_

_"No, the other thing? Collision? What... Oh...That... Oh... Crap!"_

**...**

The sun. Oh my goodness, after all those years, Chell finally woke up with the sun shining down on her face. It was so alien to her at first she was a taken back by the warmth. She thought at first she'd fallen asleep on a hard light bridge. But no, this was actual, fresh sun light. Not pumped down underground and it felt strangely calming. She rubbed her eyes and sleepily sat up in her bed. This, too, was new. She's had a bed before, that was obvious, but it had been years since she didn't have to worry about her bed being taken away from her as she was forced to complete the wretched test chambers of Aperture Science.

She laughed silently and allowed herself to fall back on to her bed. She waved her arms around in the covers like making a snow-angel, treasuring each precious moment she had to relax as if she would never get another one. The smell of freshly cleaned sheets was comforting too. The silence. No loud, annoying radio. Just peace. She snatched her white sheet and pulled it over her head rubbing her face into the fabric for the clean, refreshing smell. It told her that this was real, she wasn't in the facility anymore, she was free. She closed her eyes and waited for the gentle lullaby of sleep.

A few hours went by and Chell rolled over in her sleep... Only, she wasn't asleep. Apparently she would have to get up. She wanted to lie in but after having little regular sleep- and when she did sleep it was for years - her sleep patterns had been thrown off. Sometimes she'd sleep: Sometimes not.

Tiredly she climbed out of her bed and rubbed her eyes once more. The gentle humming and singing of birds could still be heard out her window and she walked over to inspect the creatures sat just outside her windowsill. She couldn't identify the birds yet she recognised them. They were the same birds she had seen around Aperture Science. The big black ones. Like the one that tried to eat GLaDOS after Wheatley had put her in a potato. The scene replayed in her mind. She mad many mixed feelings about her days (years) in Aperture. Some were ones that looked back with great disgust and hatred. Others, however, looked back with a strange, unexpected longing. Sometimes she almost... _Missed_ the tests.

No. That wasn't what she missed. She missed the ability to live. As much as she felt free in her new, quaint little home she hadn't met anyone for... well... never. She was, in all truthfulness, bored out of her mind. Not only had the tests been a test on her brain stopping her from going bonkers while trapped, she had someone to talk to: Wheatley. At least for a small amount of time. Before, well, before he tried to kill her. During that time she'd had PotatOS to keep her company.

With Wheatley's endless ramblings and irresponsibleness and PotatOS' random emotional outburst that either consisted of agreeing very loudly with the recording of Cave Johnson or screaming and running out of potato battery power, she had managed to find some enjoyment in her little adventures.

Chell knew though, for she was a sensible person, that no matter how many little bits of enjoyment she found in that godforsaken lab, she would always be better here. Here was where she could get food when she wanted it. Here was where she wouldn't have to get pats turrets programmed to shoot her to death. Here was where her home was. Here was where she was safe. Even if, here... was not as exciting as there.

Common sense also told her that, since it was 8:00, she should probably head to work. She walked away from the window and over to her closet. As she opened the door she hummed quietly. She didn't really think about the tune but she was humming to a song she felt sounded familiar. She wasn't sure where she had heard it before though.

It didn't bring back the painful memories of Aperture. Instead it brought back soothing and vague snatches of a life before her days at Aperture, as a child. She wasn't sure at first that they were memories of her childhood or something she'd watched on TV lately. She'd been watching a lot of TV lately. She found TV the only thing she could relate to now. No one else had gone through anything like her. The other people just got peacefully on with their short, unproductive lives. They knew little to nothing about all of the amazing things that could happen to a person if they wandered too close to a little shed in the middle of nowhere. They didn't know about Aperture and their rival.

They were blind.

Chell was mute. Different to being blind. Blindness means that one can not see, whereas muteness means they can't _tell_ about what they see. She chose not to tell. What would they think. They were too blind to see what she showed them. Someone who was really blind and not metaphorically could see much better than them, unless, of course, the were just the same. Blind, ignorant and lost.

Chell paused as she contemplated all this and snatched her coat of the hook from inside the closet door. She had already gotten dressed so she slipped the coat on and turned to face the mirror to her right.

**_They_**_ don't know what happens in this world..._

She thought as she stared at her reflection.

**_They're_**_ too arrogant to understand..._

_But __**they**__ know who they __**are**__..._

**_Their_**_ last name..._

**_Their _**_family..._

**_Their_**_ fate..._

_Who __**am**__**I**__?_

_Who __**was**__**I**__?_

_...And __**what**__ will __**I **__be?_

...

"Over there pal! Yeah, that's about right." The middle-aged, ex-history teacher smiled and waved his hand over to the left gesturing for the delivery-boy to place the large crate he was carrying on an already toppling pile of boxes.

"Oh, hello Ms.!" The young boy beamed as Chell walked through the door making the small, traditional bell ring with the opening of the door. "You look particularly happy today."

Chell tilted her head; she didn't even realise she had been smiling. She'd expected to be frowning. She didn't think she was in a good mood, in fact, she felt on the verge of tears. Perhaps the peaceful work atmosphere and the positivity of the other two had got her mind of her worries.

She nodded politely and walked over to The older. The Delivery boy just waved and left the small shop through the back door.

"Oi! Ms. Can I get some help over here?" The shopkeeper asked.

Chell laughed and took the large crate from the man.

"Sleep well?" He asked

Chell quickly dropped the box on the table and turned around, dust flew off the old table and the man laughed.

"I'll take that vague answer as a no."

If only he knew how amusing she found that. She just nodded again. The man shook his head and walked off to the counter. He placed his hands down on the desk and leaned over the counter.

"Tomorrow's your last day isn't it." He said

Chell stepped back. She hadn't said anything about leaving... heck, she wasn't leaving.

"Oh yeah..." The man rolled his eyes "I did that again didn't I. I've not told you. I'm sending you off, if you can go. There's this place that would really appreciate your work."

Chell just stayed still on the spot; she'd never worked anywhere but here.

"Don't worry about me though, I'm selling this place. Moving, Can't stand this place. I haven't got a reason, just, a change of scenery."

Chell wasn't sure what to think. Maybe if this place she was moved to was even further away from the facility she'd feel better. Maybe she'd get more sleep.

"So... I didn't tell you where it is did I."

Chell shook her head.

"I think... somewhere in Michigan."

...


End file.
